Area players help Burt Lake make run to soccer finals

November 15, 2004|By Mike Dunn, Sports Editor

When the Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian Academy boys soccer team made its thrilling, improbable run to the Div. IV state finals this fall, four players from Otsego County played a big part in the Eagles' memorable journey.

Senior midfielder Tyler Vuke, senior defensive midfielder Alan Vertican, senior utility player Jordan Holsinger and junior wing Abraham Wolfgang helped the Eagles to post a 21-4 record in 2004. Along the way, NMCA defeated Cadillac Christian Heritage 4-1 in the regional finals and powered past Bloomfield Hills Roeper 7-3 in the state semifinals before losing 3-0 to Div. IV defending champion and perennial state power Muskegon Western Michigan Christian in the championship match.

Playing for the state title is a notable achievement for any school in any given sport. For NMCA to reach the state finals is even more remarkable when one considers there are 85 students in the entire school and 30 students enrolled in the high school.

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Not only did NMCA reach the state finals, but one of its players, senior striker Nathan Chatfield, broke the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) record for career goals with 170.

"It's been quite a season," NMCA coach John Spears acknowledged this week. "Obviously, we would have liked to win one more game, but it didn't work out that way. Still, it's been great and it's something that everybody who was a part of it will always remember."

NMCA was a scoring machine in 2004, peppering opposing goakeepers with shot after shot.

€ Vuke, a four-year starter at midfielder, was the catalyst for much of the scoring. Even though his position at midfield did not always allow him to be up front, Vuke (5-11, 155) still finished with 31 assists and 25 goals. For a midfielder on a team that only records one assist per goal (some teams allow two), those are huge numbers. He also was named first-team all-state last week in addition to all-conference and all-region honors.

"Tyler is our possession player," Spears said. "He has great foot skills, probably the best on the team. He works patiently with the ball the waits for opportunities to develop."

Vuke plans to play at the next level and has received inquiries from different colleges. He is presently weighing his options.

€ Holsinger (6-3, 180) played a versatile role for the Eagles. Coach Spears used him in different capacities, including interior defense, midfield, sweeper and wing. He recorded five goals and three assists, but his primary role wasn't scoring as much as filling whatever niche was needed.

"Jordan was so valuable to us," Spears said. "Anytime you have a player that you can use on defense and on offense, it's a great asset to the team. We could use Jordan up front with Lee (Chatfield) and Mike (Baker) at sweeper, then bring him back and play him in the middle on defense or at midfield. He has great versatility."

€ Vertican (5-10, 175) was the Eagles' defensive midfielder. He hustled from sideline to sideline and used his speed and vision to thwart opponents' scoring chances. Vertican was generally assigned to guard the other team's top scorer.

"Alan had the stopper role," Spears said. "His job was mainly to keep the other team from getting off good shots on goal. He always got the big mark, meaning that we put Alan on whoever was the biggest scoring threat on the other team. He did a great job."

€ Wolfgang (5-11, 150) was another Eagle player who contributed at both ends. His main role was at wing and midfield, though he was used frequently on defense as well. Like Vuke, Wolgang was a strong possession player, someone with exceptional ball-handling skills.

"Abraham was pretty good at one-timing shots or redirecting them," Spears noted. "He didn't have breakaway speed, but he was very good at possessing the ball. He was one of our more dominant players."